Discuss the latest comic book news and front page articles, read or post your own reviews of comics, and talk about anything comic book related. Threads from the two subforums below will also show up here. News Stand topics can also be read and posted in from The Asylum.

Oh gosh. This book. This freaking book was absolutely fantastic and worth every single digital dime I paid on Comixlogy. I love me some Spider-Man villains and given this has my #4 fav Spidey villain in Shocker that hooked me. Add the rest and we have ourselves probably the best villain book on the market.

Yes, these are mooks, but fun ones. They're not Norman Osborn or Doc Ock. They're crooks only in it for the money. Of course the accidental score Shocker and Speed Demon find is swiped by "Hammerhead". Though here's my only concern is the continuity.

Chameleon is the hostage of Spock over in the team-up, so how is he in this? Is this right before? Also what about Boomerang since he's over in the main Superior book?

Regardless, these small snafu's don't ruin the book for me. This book was freaking awesome. Now if Mysterio or Hobgoblin appears in it this book in a reoccurring role this would be the best book EVER.

sdsichero wrote:I especially like and admire Zechs. He's everything I wish I could be!

Another great #1 issue from Marvel! They are on a bit of a roll. Being a fan of the Thunderbolts and Dark Avengers, I’m a sucker for a series about villains, and it looks like Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber have launched the next great thing in villainy. This was a top-notch comic book, and I think what made it so good was that it was barely a superhero comic at all. Boomerang and his team are low-level villains, they aren’t out to rule the world, just to rob banks. This is a street-level crime book basically, just one that takes place in a superhero universe. Think something along the lines of Fraction’s Hawkeye, just from the other side of the law.

This issue is narrated by Boomerang, and after only 1 issue, I’m more interested in this Z-List villain than I am any of the bad-guys set to star in DC’s Villains Month. We find out his origins, which were new to me at least, and we see just why it is he sticks at being a super-villain. The rest of his team are introduced here, Shocker, Speed Demon, Overdrive and The Beetle. These are lame characters for sure, but this means Spencer can really have fun with them, really develop them and do something new. I really liked how funny this book is, it plays up how these are sad-sack villains. Speed Demon and Shocker rob a pet-shop, Shocker complains about his costume being too hot, Beetle tries to rob a comic shop, they are basically loveable losers. Spencer’s dialogue is fantastic here, I knew he could be funny from his Jimmy Olsen stuff, but this may be even better, as it’s a dryer sense of humour.

But then there’s a twist, and man, it’s a good one. It’s not quite as good as Thunderbolts #1, but it shows that hey, maybe Boomerang at least isn’t a total loser idiot. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun following these fuck-ups around, getting into heists and scrapes. Steve Lieber provides the art, and it’s a very good fit. His style is realistic, which suits what is basically a crime series down to the ground. I also liked how this issue played around with censorship in a similar way to how Hawkeye did, it was great how Boomerang giving the finger was covered up by the Comics Code Authority logo. This looks like being a great new series, if you like Hawkeye, or works of Brubaker and Phillips, this should be right up your crime-alley.

There was a thread a week or so back about diversity at the big two. Well, this is a perfect example of diversity even within the genre. Sure, there are some artistic similarities to Hawkeye, for the most part this book is unlike anything else that big two are offering. Hell, it isn't even like other successful villain books like Suicide Squad or Thunderbolts. This isn't about villains pretending to be heroes, trying to be heroes or coerced into being heroes. This is about villains being criminals. Not only that, it draws on various elements of great crime novels. It has a conversational narrative in which Boomerang speaks directly to another party who acts in the place of the reader, similar to Max Allan Collins' Quarry series. By commenting on the story, telling jokes and even reacting to the third party, you're pulled into the story. You feel like you're sitting there at the bar listening to this guy tell you his life story. It really is a fantastic way to present the story. This is heist story, but it isn't like a Parker thriller and more like a Dortmunder caper (both series were written by Donald Westlake). Finally, these characters being mooks, the kind of crimes that they do and their interaction with one another feels like it's straight out of an Elmore Leonard novel. The book even makes a Justified reference! Top it off with some Looney Tunes-esque comedy (Speed Demon disappearing in a puff of smoke and a 'pew' sound effect), and you have a unique, thrilling, laugh out loud funny book. Finally, you have Steve Lieber providing expressive art that brings the story to life. I don't read much superhero material these days, but this is one that is absolutely worth buying.

Stalzer2002 wrote:There was a thread a week or so back about diversity at the big two. Well, this is a perfect example of diversity even within the genre. Sure, there are some artistic similarities to Hawkeye, for the most part this book is unlike anything else that big two are offering. Hell, it isn't even like other successful villain books like Suicide Squad or Thunderbolts. This isn't about villains pretending to be heroes, trying to be heroes or coerced into being heroes. This is about villains being criminals. Not only that, it draws on various elements of great crime novels. It has a conversational narrative in which Boomerang speaks directly to another party who acts in the place of the reader, similar to Max Allan Collins' Quarry series. By commenting on the story, telling jokes and even reacting to the third party, you're pulled into the story. You feel like you're sitting there at the bar listening to this guy tell you his life story. It really is a fantastic way to present the story. This is heist story, but it isn't like a Parker thriller and more like a Dortmunder caper (both series were written by Donald Westlake). Finally, these characters being mooks, the kind of crimes that they do and their interaction with one another feels like it's straight out of an Elmore Leonard novel. The book even makes a Justified reference! Top it off with some Looney Tunes-esque comedy (Speed Demon disappearing in a puff of smoke and a 'pew' sound effect), and you have a unique, thrilling, laugh out loud funny book. Finally, you have Steve Lieber providing expressive art that brings the story to life. I don't read much superhero material these days, but this is one that is absolutely worth buying.